Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi

When I borrowed the DVD from my sister I was sceptical at first because she said she didn't really like it and the graphics weren't really outstanding either. How wrong I was. Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi is one if the most amazing animes I have ever seen. I must admit I expected it to be rather boring and not special at all but I was so wrong. I enjoyed every minute of it, it was fun to watch, I laughed a lot, and I cried a lot too. The story really touched me, the characters really grew on me (even the supporting ones!) and ... when I was done watching, I was sad because I didn't want it to end.

The Story: The young boy Koichi happens to find a Kappa, which surprisingly survived over 200 years. He takes the Kappa, now named "Coo", home, and starting from then on, he secretly lives with family Uehara. When Coo starts feeling lonely, Koichi and the Kappa go on a trip, to find other Kappas. But a legendary being like Coo will not stay undiscovered for long...

When I thought about rating this anime, I thought I'd give it a 9 because the graphics weren't what I am used to from other animes. But after finishing the anime, I realized the way the characters are drawn fit the story perfectly. It was part of the charm in my opinion. The setting isn't some kind of parallel world so any other graphics, the "normal", often used kind, wouldn't have gone well with the story.

I recommend this anime for EVERY one out there, but I must say there is some violence in it, so it's not just a happy go lucky anime.

This movie is outstanding, unique and very, very touching. After watching it, you will agree with me. You WILL. There's no chance you'll disagree. That's impossible.

What makes a great anime movie? Is it visuals, great storytelling, great and relatable characters, mind-bending themes and ideas or just the name of a famous director and studio. Whatever it is, we all love movies and anime. When I think about anime movies one of the first which comes to my mind is Summer Days with Coo and it is not because of complex storytelling, visuals or name of the director but it is because it is the only anime movie that genuinely made me cry and word “genuinely” is very important. Coo is not a movie of fakeness or pretending, it is a ... movie about reality and humans, It does not pretend anything but show directly what is true and that is the greatest asset of Summer Days With Coo. To understand this we have to understand the story structure and characters of this movie.

Characters in Coo are quite different than rest of the rabble. By that, I mean that they don’t have a specific trait like brave, loving or anything near it and they don’t follow normal convention of movie characters when they take action and when they do take action which will be almost always be motivated by the situation. There is no villain in this movie nor there are any heroes and what we might think is a hero do not follow general rules of a hero, ie. they are not purely selfless, well expect Ossan. In short characters in Summer Days with Coo are humans and nothing more and that is the greatest beauty of this movie. A hero is a hero because of the situation made him and villains are villains because situation made them, there no good and bad just people with different situations and needs. That is why I said there no fakeness or pretending, these people who are in the movie act genuinely like people in that situation, just like you and me. There is no trait defining them, no horrid past poking them, no high goal driving them, they are just normal people nothing more and nothing less.

Story structure is defined by a single action and multiple reactions to that action. Like when you drop a rock in a claim pond and watch ripples react with each other to form different patterns. The movie can neither be called story driven or character driven. it is the initial action that forms the story and characters react with that story making their mark on it and story also making its mark on them. Its beauty cannot be explained by mere words. Summer Days with Coo is a movie that can put nearly every movie I have watched in shame, in the storytelling department.

Again this simplicity and realism also reflect in its vision. It is rough, ugly, detailed, clunky and realistic in an odd way. Everyone looks normal, there are no extraordinary beautiful characters and yet there are detailed and beautiful backgrounds, this gives the movie a unique feel. Some may find visual to be repulsive but what hidden behind them is gold.

Summer Days with Coo is a truly unique and beautiful experience and everyone should give it a try. It is a movie filled with Simplicity and Beauty to the brim and there could be no doubt that it is one of the best movies I have ever watched. So go and give it a try and let me know.

If there's anything this anime could remind you of then it's the movie "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial".

A boy finds a strange (initially fossilised) creature, a Kappa named Coo, with a kind character. The family gets attached to Coo and struggles to keep him secret from the public. Coo soon starts to feel lonely and separated and wonders about his own kind.
Even though there's a lot happening in between and afterwards, the movie has a very, VERY calm and smooth way of storytelling but doesn't create a feeling boredom. If you're looking for action and a propulsive plot, then this is nothing for you.

Most characters have depth ... and happen to be very open with their feelings - this, the sorrows of Coo and what they entail make "Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi" an exceptionally empathetic and touching anime.

There are moments of fun, happiness and sadness, even some of shock. Everyone who usually cries a little (or more) in movies will definitely cry while watching this one.

On the side panel you can see that someone set the genre to "Adventure" .... I don't think that fits too much. Slice of Life, Drama and (a little) Comedy are way more fitting.

The visual art in "Kappa no Coo..." won't impress you all too much - pretty solid and modest are the words coming to my mind. All in all more than enough to catch the atmosphere and the viewer.

If you're liking emotional motion pictures with strong characters and strong plot then you shouldn't miss this one.